#roadtrauma — Public Fediverse posts

“More than half of all road deaths are people who aren't even in a car – they are walking, cycling or riding a motorcycle. When roads are designed as if only car drivers matter, these people are left dangerously exposed,” said Dr Etienne Krug Director of the Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention at WHO. “We know what works – strong laws and enforcement, safe infrastructure and vehicles with particular attention to lowering speed and addressing impaired driving. This declaration means we must all go further and faster.”

https://www.who.int/news/item/20-07-2026-road-deaths-fall-by-21--globally-but-stronger-action-is-needed-to-save-lives
#MobilityDesign #mortality #pedestrians #motorists #cars #speed #RoadTrauma

Scenic Drives in the Bellingen area

#cars #roads #Thedrive #Gleniffer #scenic #IdyllicCoutryside #RoadUpgrades #RoadWidening #NSW #NeverNever #PromisedLand #WaterfallWay #Bellingen #GlenifferRd #RoadTrauma #wildlife #BellingenShire #climate

Nudging drivers to share the roads with wildlife

"Motorists are being urged to slow down and stay alert for wildlife as Transport for NSW launches its annual “Animals on Country Roads” safety campaign.

"Between 2016 and 2025, 26 people were killed and more than 1,250 crashes resulted in injuries involving animals on country roads. Kangaroos were involved in the highest proportion of fatal crashes involving animals in NSW, accounting for 44 per cent of deaths over the past decade."

“Driving on country roads means sharing the road with animals that can move quickly and unpredictably...Slow down, stay alert – especially at dawn and dusk – and take note of the animal warning signs. Also look out for animals near creeks and waterholes."

"The campaign runs until 30 June, encouraging motorists to take extra care on country roads and be prepared for unexpected wildlife hazards, including reporting injured animals to WIRES on 1300 094 737." >>
https://nambuccavalley.newsofthearea.com.au/look-out-for-wildlife-campaign
#cars #motorists #speeding #MobilityDesign #roads #HabitatFragmentation #wildlife #livestock #RoadKill #RoadTrauma
Image: Young passenger's view of native wildlife on NSW road shoulder

Crashes at Lavenders Bridge, North Bellingen

* Just a short time ago two women were killed and another seriously injured after a motorist 'lost control' near the notorious Lavender Bridge and smashed into two cars parked at the riverside swimming spot. >>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/a-woman-has-tragically-died-in-a-crash-at-bellingen-on-thursday-afternoon

* Today there was another serious incident involving two e-bikes. An ambulance was seen at the crash zone. An injured person was seen lying on the ground. (The ambulance is visible on the Kombu Flood Camera at 2026-05-24 11.26 ) >>
https://kombuwholefoods.com.au/floodcam/

* The long road to a bike-friendly Australia >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116626357349183983

* In the design of the new 'Lavenders Bridge Replacement' bikes and foot traffic do not seem to be a feature. A lot of bitumen was smeared over the river banks to facilitate the convenience for cars (parking).

Image: North Bellingen, Lavender Bridge Black Spot by design

#MobilityDesign #LavendersBridge #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #BellingenShire #accidents #crash #pedestrians

The long road to a bike-friendly Australia
and the dehumanisation of cyclists

* "At the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably decades away. What’s taking so long?

"NSW wants to double active transport trips in 20 years...But at the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably another 50 years away, experts speaking to The Fifth Estate warned. Progress is slow. (One bike bridge was recently installed in Melbourne after 37 years of lobbying and discussion.)"

"A 2024 report by The Australia Institute points out that less than 1 per cent of federal road funding goes to active transport infrastructure."

"Richter was one of 49 bike riders who died on Australian roads last year, up on the average of around 38 deaths per year between 2012-23. (Thousands more were hospitalised with serious injuries during that period.)." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-24/active-transport-cycling-bikes-cities-safety/106710436

* Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847818308593?dgcid=author

#MobilityDesign #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #Australia

IMAGE: Children on scooters on a 'normal' Bellingen bitumen streetscape lacking a footpath or a cycle path. Nothing is protecting the flesh and blood from metal and steel.

Biodiversity under the wheels

Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and other wildlife are forced to dwell in fragmented spaces having to cross many roads to go about their life. Mobility design is primarily for combustion machines to fly along their supply chains. The mobility needs of the un-motorised is not taken care of with the existing infrastructure.

"Tens of thousands of collisions with animals are recorded each year across Australia and the number appears to be rising. According to NRMA Insurance claims data, there was a 21% rise in animal collision claims from 2024-2025."

"Many large animals, including kangaroos, are most active at dusk and night, often moving to feed along roadside vegetation. Insurance data shows collisions are concentrated on regional and rural roads, where higher speeds, limited lighting and greater exposure to wildlife increase risk." >>
https://theconversation.com/crashes-involving-animals-spike-in-winter-heres-how-to-avoid-them-281531
#biodiversity #wildlife #MobilityDesign #vehicles #roads #speed #RoadTrauma #kangaroos #wallabies #koalas #wombats #birds #crashes

Pacific Highway has the most dangerous drivers in NSW >>
https://nambuccavalley.newsofthearea.com.au/pacific-highway-has-the-most-dangerous-drivers-in-nsw

#cars #motorists #CoffsHarbour #PacificHighway #NSW #roads #RoadTrauma

Image: Pacific Highway, No road is ever wide enough

Daylight saving and circadian rhythms and killing wildlife on the roads
Crashing into the 'zone of wildlife'

“[With] daylight saving, we start shifting our cars and our daily routine more into the zone of animals, their sunset, sunrise period … suddenly there are cars when all the dusk choruses are happening."

"Species that would be of obvious concern would be kangaroos and wallabies, that are often quite active both in the morning and in the afternoon around dusk, so any increased traffic around the time when they’re most active can create potential issues with road accidents,” Deakin University wildlife ecology and conservation professor Euan Ritchie says."

"Cars – with their lights and noise, and the danger they pose – can affect insects, birds and wildlife." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/04/how-does-daylight-saving-time-affect-animals-australia-wildlife
#biodiversity #wildlife #cars #roads #DST #DaylightSaving #crashes #LightPollution #ArtificialLight #NoisePollution #RoadTrauma

More people are killed on Australian roads.

"Deaths on Australian roads have increased every year since 2020. This is despite the Australian government’s commitment to Vision Zero – having zero deaths or serious injuries on our roads by 2050."

"Unfortunately, 1,317 road deaths were recorded in 2025, a 1.9% increase from 2024. Land transport accidents also remain a leading cause of death for children and young adults, and the third leading cause of injury hospitalisations." >>
https://theconversation.com/more-people-are-dying-on-australian-roads-this-program-could-make-drivers-safer-276970

Comments: To "look at the entire system of road use" one must not just have the car as the road user in mind but the entire mobility design and their associated industries. The focus should be on public infrastructure that enable active and safe mobility (walking and cycling) for all. "Good mobility design" does not kill, maim, pollute or leads to planetary heating.

#cars #roads #RoadTrauma #RoadDeaths #crash #VisionZero #failure #IntegralAccident #MobilityDesign #cyclists #pedestrians #KillerRoads #wildlife #SacrificeZone #FossilFuels #climate

Image: Somewhere on Wikipedia. A time when people could not accept that motorists can just kill people and call it an 'accident'.

Bullbars
"Three people killed, two injured in crash involving car and truck. Both had to be cut from the wreckage before being flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-25/three-passengers-die-as-car-and-truck-crash-in-adelaide-hills/106493522

Why are these giant bull bars (roo bars) allowed ? They often push pedestrians, wildlife and small cars out of the way and crush them.

#car #trucks #bullbars #armouring #safety #ZeroSafety #machines #bodies #roads #RoadTrauma

Motorists killing road workers? Money over lives?
We'd rather not know

"The way road trauma was classified contributed to that visibility problem."

"A traffic controller killed at a roadworks site does not appear in a public 'road worker' category."

"...While Queensland published weekly road toll figures, there was no one publicly accessible source that integrated public road fatalities, work-related road deaths, serious injury hospitalisations in one place or in near-real time. Road workers are especially vulnerable because they are exposed on high-speed corridors where a single reckless decision can have catastrophic consequences."

"Tragically, one afternoon Suzanne was struck by a truck travelling 106km/h in a 60km/h zone. The truck drove on the footpath and killed her." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-10/qld-road-death-roadworks-traffic-controller/106391030
#roads #RoadTrauma #RoadFatalities #SacrificeZone #cars #OHS #work #RoadToll #RoadSafety #accountability #NegativeExternalities #invisibility #speed #footpaths

Image: Coffs Harbour, Pacific Highway conveyor belt 'upgrade', less bush but ready for a bright fossil fuel future without cycle paths and footpaths.

Zero Road Deaths?
Killer roads - Can Australia reduce road deaths to zero by 2080?

* Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death
"The capital city is Finnish’ed with car-related fatalities. Capped speed limits and investments in pedestrian, cycling and public transport infrastructure have helped reduce traffic deaths in Helsink" >>
https://www.politico.eu/article/helsinki-no-traffic-death-roads-eu-accident-finland-driving-transport/

* 355 people - killed on NSW roads in 2025
The injured, the life-altering injuries and killed wildlife are not in these statistics.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/minns-government-calls-on-drivers-to-slow-down-355-lives-lost-on-nsw-roads-2025

* Australian road deaths are following dangerous USA trend, expert warns
"A recent rise in Australia’s road toll suggests we are following a USA precedent of rising pedestrian deaths that started long ago." >>
https://www.drive.com.au/news/australian-road-deaths-are-following-dangerous-usa-trend-expert-warns/

* Can we cut road deaths to zero by 2050? Current trends say no. What’s going wrong? >>
https://theconversation.com/can-we-cut-road-deaths-to-zero-by-2050-current-trends-say-no-whats-going-wrong-220289
#Roads #cars #SUVs #speed #RoadTrauma #RoadFatalities #NSW #MobilityDesign #pedestrians #cyclists #infrastructure #PublicTransportation #SacrificeZone #wildlife

Mobility design for all

The cost of doing b̶u̶s̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶/ transport should factor in wildlife bridges /corridors at reasonable intervals. When they can construct 40,000-vehicle-a-day conveyor belts through wildlife ecosystems, then they could ensure mobility for koalas, gliders, swamp wallabies and wombats too.
Elsewhere motorways are being retrofitted to allow animals to move safely between fragmented sections of bushland. >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-22/cawleys-bridge-wildlife-crossing-retrofit/106365756

Coffs Harbour bypass >>
https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/projects/coffs-harbour-bypass
#biodiversity #wildlife #mobility #WildlifeBridges #MobilityDesign #roads #highways #CODB #cars #PacificHighway #RoadTrauma #CoffsHarbour

Tolerating the crushing of pedestrians, cyclists and wildlife with bull bars

" Bull bars are rigid or semi-rigid metal or composite frames mounted to the front of a vehicle.

Pedestrian deaths just reached an 18-year high. Bull bars are part of the problem
In 2025, 197 pedestrians were killed on Australian roads, the highest number since 2007. Almost every state recorded a noticeable spike in pedestrian deaths compared to last year.

Cyclist deaths also climbed to 49, up 32% from last year – the highest since 2013.
One key reason appears to be the growing size and weight of vehicles, which can increase the risk of death and injury.

Evidence shows bull bars can significantly increase the severity of pedestrian injuries, even in low-speed urban crashes.

Bull bars are not banned in Australian cities. Instead, they are regulated through design standards that are weaker than European pedestrian-protection rules. "
>>
https://theconversation.com/pedestrian-deaths-just-reached-an-18-year-high-bull-bars-are-part-of-the-problem-273362
#cars #SUVs #crashes #MobilityDesign #regulation #speeding #pedestrians #cyclists #wildlife #RoadTrauma #Bullbars #RooBars #VehicleRamming #HostileVehicleMitigation

Last year 355 human beings were killed by the car-road complex in NSW.

"Australia’s 2025 road toll: NSW records highest number of deaths in eight years as fatalities rise nationwide. About two-thirds of road deaths in NSW last year (241) were in rural and regional areas. Cyclist deaths increased from five to 15, including three e-bike riders."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/02/australia-2025-road-toll-deaths-fatalities-rise-nationwide
#MobilityDesign #roads #FossilFuels #cars #pedestrians #infrastructure #motorists #speed #SUVs #violence #PetroMasculinity #Sacrifice #RoadTrauma #governance
Image: How children see the road (drawing), Coffs Harbour

Is Australia serious about reducing road trauma?
Australians want giant fuel guzzling cars risking the life of other beings

"As we head for a fifth consecutive year of rising road deaths and what could be the worst year for pedestrian fatalities in nearly two decades, it’s time to look more closely at what this means."

"Evidence from multiple countries suggests driving larger vehicles may lead to more confident or risk-prone behaviour."
>>
https://theconversation.com/australias-roads-are-full-of-giant-cars-and-everyone-pays-the-price-what-can-be-done-268212
#Cars #SUVs #KIllerCars #bullying #pedestrians #children #risks #FossilFuels #PetroMasculinity ##Climate #pollution #RoadKill #regulation #Australia #consuming #RoadTrauma

Life After Cars
The harms of car culture

"Heralded as a world-changing invention, automobiles promised a dream of freedom and independence. Instead, they’ve delivered pollution, noise, expense, sprawling isolated cities, climate catastrophe, and hundreds of thousands of deaths per year."
>>
https://visionzerovancouver.ca/2025/08/01/life-after-cars/

Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves From the Tyranny of the Automobile (book)
"Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world."
>>
https://www.lifeaftercars.com/
#cars #vehicles #EVs #roads #pollution #RoadTrauma #MassMortalities #violence #climate #FossilFuels #sprawl #destruction #harm #biodiversity #book

Remember the 'callous' fatal hit-run driver's home detention in the NT?

"The NT's attorney-general has been accused of failing to declare a conflict of interest over her relation to fatal hit-and-run driver Jake Danby."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-19/nt-attorney-general-related-to-hit-run-driver-jake-danby/105793244

NT DPP considering appeal of 'callous' fatal hit-run driver's home detention
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-17/nt-appeal-call-in-shocking-aboriginal-hit-and-run-death/105780750
#pedestrians #cars #motorists #speeding #RoadTrauma #HitAndRun #culture #law #IndigenousPeoples #dehumanisation #HateCrime #RuleOfLaw #ConflictOfInterest #Australia

NT DPP considering appeal of 'callous' fatal hit-run driver's home detention

"The NT has the nation's highest rate of pedestrian deaths, with the majority of victims being Indigenous people, and data shows one in four drivers do not stop to help...Incidents like this are a stark reminder of the systemic challenges our communities continue to face — ongoing racism, inequity and a justice system that too often fails to hold offenders fully accountable."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-17/nt-appeal-call-in-shocking-aboriginal-hit-and-run-death/105780750
#pedestrians #cars #motorists #RoadTrauma #HitAndRun #culture #law #IndigenousPeoples #dehumanisation #HateCrime

The 'world's watching' koalas getting under Aussie wheels

They are begging motorists to slow down when driving through known koala habitats, but...

"Since European colonisation, koala habitat in Australia has been devastated, with approximately 29 million hectares (54 per cent) of forests and woodlands destroyed in NSW alone. Even in recent years, deforestation has continued at an alarming pace...Koalas are facing extinction in NSW by 2050."
>>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/drivers-warned-after-heartbreaking-find-next-to-road-at-aussie-tourist-town-230610115.html
#biodiversity #extinction #koalas #marsupials #roads #cars #Roadkill #RoadTrauma #NSW #MidNorthCoast #LoggingImpacts #NSWLogging #wildlife #deforestation

Kids want to be mobile
but
don't own a private car and mostly live in public transport deserts.
Poor bike, footpaths, or road infrastructure increase risks of potentially life-threatening injuries when using mobility devices such as e-scooters.

" One in 10 children hurt while riding e-scooters suffered life-threatening injuries. Children were “massively overrepresented” in cases of e-scooter injuries and deaths, despite e-scooters being mostly ridden by adults."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/04/e-scooter-injury-toll-revealed-in-study-just-tip-of-the-iceberg-in-australia-doctors-warn
#children #MobilityDesign #parenting #TransitDesert #FossilFuel #mobility #RoadTrauma #NSW #MidNorthCoast

Can you live without a car in the mountains? Yes, with planning and a few different bikes
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2025/may/30/can-you-live-without-a-car-in-the-mountains-yes-with-planning-and-a-few-different-bikes
#climate #FossilFuels #pollution #RoadTrauma #harm #MobilityDesign #cycling #carfree

The koala procreation season and car crashes

Speeding combustion engines are one of the major threats to unarmoured koalas. No road is ever wide enough for vehicles in the Bellingen/Gleniffer area. Road signage is regularly knocked down and speeding is the 24/7 norm.

Koalas like to meet up between June and December. This is the time when the marsupials are forced to negotiate a fragmented habitat of roads, settlements and degraded logging sites.

Switch on your 'car brain' and consider others.
>>
https://friendsofthekoala.org/koalas-and-cars/
#cars #roads #motorists #NSW #biodiversity #koalas #RoadTrauma #Bellingen #GlenifferRoad #RosesRoad #BellingenShire #SignageKnockedDown #enforcement #MobilityDesign

It seems to be tolerated that large machines mow down unarmoured human beings

"In the case of a crash, SUVs and LTVs cause more severe injuries to pedestrians and cyclists than passenger cars. This effect is larger for fatalities than for KSIs, and the fatality effect is particularly large for children... The Injury severity, defined either as ‘fatal versus non-fatal injury’ or as ‘killed or seriously injured (KSI) versus slight injury’. Pedestrians and cyclists are about 44% more likely to be killed when hit by an SUV or light truck (e.g. a van or big ute) compared to a passenger car."
>>
https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2025/04/11/ip-2024-045613

Stop the child murder/ Stop de Kindermoord
"The streets no longer belonged to the people who lived there, but to huge traffic flows... It took the intolerable toll of child traffic deaths – and fierce activism – to turn Amsterdam into the cycling nirvana of today."
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/05/amsterdam-bicycle-capital-world-transport-cycling-kindermoord
#cars #roads #SUVs #LTVs #pedestrians #cyclists #children #ChildTrafficDeaths #wildlife #RoadTrauma #MobilityDesign #AI

Image: Bellingen cars conquer the few footpaths

Koalas face death, attacks and mass starvation from monoculture plantations
Cost-effective management techniques for Australian wildlife

"...Displaced animals were sometimes still up in trees that were felled and ended up with broken bones, or were orphaned babies left behind. Others were attacked by cows or dogs."

"A 2023 study of reported wild koala deaths in south-east Queensland found vehicles were responsible for about half (1,431) of all fatalities."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/11/koalas-face-death-attacks-and-starvation-as-blue-gums-chopped-down-in-victoria
#biodiversity #wildlife #koalas #LoggingImpacts #LoggingIndustry #harm #pets #Livestock #roads #vehicles #RoadTrauma #KillingZones #plantations #monoculture #extractivism #governance #Australia #extinction

Koala exclusion fencing mowed down my motorists

The newly built Koala exclusion fence along Hogbin Drive, Coffs Harbour is already destroyed by motorists at various places. No repairs are in sight for the 'fauna exclusion fence'
>>
https://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Your-Council/Newsroom/Media-Releases/Making-things-safer-for-Coffs-Harbour-koalas-on-the-go
#koalas #wildlife #CoffsHarbour #HogbinDrive #roads #cars #RoadTrauma #NSWKillingKoalas